Drambuie really needs to learn how to play nice. This Scotch-based liqueur, flavored with herbs and honey, is, in my estimation, one of the loveliest creations among the many bottles on the back bar. The liqueur is quite pleasant on its own, but perhaps due to the natural surliness of Scotch, or maybe the deep,… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Gin
The Desire for That Which Is To Be Denied
Building a home bar is an exercise in setting priorities. Spicy rye whiskey, decent mixing gin and a bottle of Cointreau? Right up there at the top of the list. Maraschino liqueur, Campari and Chartreuse? Maybe around level B, after all the basics are covered and you’re ready to explore a little bit. Dutch-style gin… Continue Reading
Mixology Monday I: Pastis
I struggled a bit with the whole “pastis” idea. I enjoy the flavor of anise, and like the flavor in cocktails, but when looking for a pastis-containing drink that had an agreeable taste, and that had a decent story, I kept running into dead-ends. Then I came across the cannibals. William Seabrook was an old-school… Continue Reading
Bronx Terrace
I enjoyed a brief infatuation with this drink when I first became interested in the whole cocktail thing. Trying one now, I kind of remember why–it’s not a terribly complicated drink, flavorwise, but it’s not flat-out simple, either. Rather than using a sweetener to smooth out the tanginess of the lime, the Bronx Terrace uses… Continue Reading
The Last Word
“This cocktail was introduced around here about thirty years ago by Frank Fogarty, who was very well known in vaudeville. He was called the ‘Dublin Minstrel,’ and was a very fine monologue artist.” So wrote Ted Saucier in 1951 when introducing this drink in Bottoms Up. Saucier credits the drink to the Detroit Athletic Club,… Continue Reading
